Artificial general intelligence (AGI) is a loosely defined term that generally describes a future AI system that is better than humans at every task.

When this elusive goal will be achieved — and by whom — is the focus of much speculation by AI researchers, CEOs, and industry observers. There is no quantifiable threshold that will definitively prove that someone has achieved AGI. But that hasn’t stopped many from making predictions of when it will happen.

Journalists should view such predictions with skepticism, as it often is a form of hype that tries to influence perceptions of who is about to win the AI race.